Notes / Commercial Description:
Incredibly-hopped, lovingly-aged, and ravenously-carbonated, Scratch #29-2010 is a true brewery collaboration with cast of characters involved in recipe formulation, barrel-aging, dry-hopping, bottle-conditioning and finally, taste-testing. Scratch #29 started off innocently enough as a Pale Ale fermented with Westmalle yeast. After fermentation, the beer was aged for twelve days in virgin Pennsylvania Oak barrels supplied by Keystone Coopers. And then the fun began. Even after brief wood-aging the oak’s intensity overwhelmed the Bravo and German Northern Brewer hops used in the boil. But have no fear, a two-week dry-hop with Willamette and Hersbrucker hops dulled the oak and transformed this beer. Bottled-conditioned for three weeks before release, Scratch #29 imparts an intense spicy flavor with grassy notes from the Hersbrucker hops. Hints of orange and a slight alcohol burn come through with the high carbonation leaving “pins on your tongue” in the finish. * (Not Belgian Pale Ale. We are not Belgian, nor do we claim to be.)

Reviews by neorunner:

Seventh and final beer from the Blind Beers BIF thanks to SHolland119.

Poured into a Unibrou tulip. Bright hazy golden color. 4 massive inches of head that mushrooms up and holds together a solid inch over the top of the glass. Almost like a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Fine lines of carbonation bubbles up the side of the glass. Yeast, spice, lemon/citrus all contributing to a very pleasant aroma. Taste is a very light wheat esque malt with some earthy spices mixed in. Hops taste like they are in the low alpha acid department, almost like german noble hops. Subtle and crisp mouthfeel that makes this very drinkable. As it warms up a bit orange peel is very prevalent in both the aroma and taste.

More User Reviews:

4/5 rDev -3.6%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a hazy yellow color with a white head. The aroma is Belgian yeast with some citrus notes. The flavor is more of the Belgian yeast with low bitterness and orange citrus. I also get some lighter malts. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Expecting a generous head to form on this Belgian IPA, I gave a slow pour into my favorite tulip and still got a good 2 fingers of fluffy, white head. Body is a nice orangish yellow color, with a bit of haze to it. Citrus aromas, a bit of spiciness, cloves, and that lovely yeast scent I've grown to love. Earthy / citrus hops and Belgian yeast are the predominant flavors I get, slightly bitter finish but very refreshing. Lower end of medium bodied, with a good amount of carbonation and somewhat dry. I like the style, and I like this example alot. Another great beer in the Scratch series by the Brothers Trogner!

From Math Trade BIF 2. Poured form a 12oz. bottle into a Cantillon Iris glass.

A: Standard pour yields a quickly escalating 4 finger foamy white head that stands unwavering. Beer is a clear bright yellow. Lacing is patchy and thick, like mold on the side of the glass.

S: Nose is rather faint. Belgian yeast and citrus abounds but there's not much of anything else. A bit disappointing as I crave a big nose from my IPAs.

T: Opens spicy and sweet with the hop profile lingering in the back almost as an afterthought. Citrussy and yeasty but never really bitter at the middle. Notes of grapefruit, pear, banana, and ruby red towards the end. Finishes suddenly with no aftertaste.

M: Light bodied, appropriately carbonated, and lively and abrasive in the mouth. Goes down rather easily. No real finish and aftertaste is a bit sticky.

D: As far as Belgian IPAs go, this one is definitely more Belgian than IPA, which is an approach I appreciate. Sweet and less hoppy, with a slightly disappointing nose, but great flavor and feel. A great middle-of-the-summer beer.

T: Wow, I instantly love this beer! The Belgian characteristics are very forward.. great balance of spice and malts. The Belgian notes are followed by a hint of oak and booze. The finish is all citrus and hops.

M: Medium-bodied, slightly creamy, and full of carbonation.

D: This beer really is fantastic. I wouldn't have guessed that this was 7.7% abv at all! It is hidden well underneath the well-balanced mix of Belgian, IPA and barrel-aged characteristics. Seriously wish I had more of this! The Troegs Scratch Series continues to impress me!

The beer pours into the glass a hazy golden-straw color with a massive white head.

Aroma is damn good. I just realized this was barrel-aged, and that definitely makes sense to me now. My schnozz picks up bready malts and Belgian yeast, citrusy hops, and oak.

Down the ol' hatch it goes. Along with the pale malts, there are tropical fruit notes and an estery Belgian yeast presence. Bright citrusy hops, oak, and even maybe some vanilla as well. Really smooth on the mouthfeel.

Medium-bodied with active carbonation.

I know I'm a Harrisburg homer sometimes, but I'll be damned if Tröegs isn't one of the best in the business. This one is tasty, drinkable, and even refreshing at 7.7% ABV. Solid stuff.

Pours a hazy golden orange, with 2 fingers of thick eggshell-white head. This is actually a pretty foamy pour, as it takes a little time to get a good portion of the bottle into the glass. Anyway, this eventually retains with a rigid finger of thick froth which just absolutely COATS the sides of the glass with rich foamy swathes of lacing. The aroma is very bright and hoppy feeling I the nose with floral tones and zesty notes of fruit and citrus peel. Some light spicy phenols work their way in here as well and a smooth vanilla oakiness holds it all together.

The taste has a lot of hop flavor going on with it but isn't coming off as overly bitter at all with an earthy and pithy character to it. More fruity notes of orange and lemon give this some zestiness while some more bitter tasting grapefruit makes an appearance as well. The yeast gives this some sharpness, which helps accentuate what bitterness is present here but the vanilla flavor really smoothes this out nicely, leaving some woody tannic character hanging on the sides of the profile where it mingles with hops for a bitter, sharp, and dry finish. The mouthfeel is medum bodied, with a creamy and bubbly feel that is undercurrent by a LOT of silky slickness from the hop oils and wood. I'm getting just some light warmth here out of the body, which is keeping the ABV in the background and helping keep the delicious flavors here in the spotlight.

Jeez this turned out really nice and I regret waiting a while to finally crack a bottle of this, as I'm sure that those hop flavors crackled and popped even more when this was at maxiumum freshness. The addition of the oak here really put this over the edge though and I'm curious to see how this might continue to condition in the bottle.

The head was kind of out of control during the pour. The next bottle I will pour at fridge temp. Has a hazy golden color with moderate amount of lacing. A lot of yeast in the aroma. No mistaken the Belgian yeast. I also detect some citrus and vanilla. The flavor has a lot going on. Plenty of spice and vinous qualities from the yeast, as well as citrus, vanilla, and woody qualities. To me it does not all blend well together. Especially when you add in the bitterness which seems excessive. Has a lingering citrus aftertaste. Very good mouthfeel. Gentle carbonation and soft texture. Helps conteracts the bitterness. Has some really interesting things going on, maybe too much for my tastes.

Number three in my trifecta. From a six pack purchased at the brewery.

A: The ale is well-carbonated, offering up a four finger head that overflowed spectacularly. The result is a veritable pangaea of lace. The ale, cloudy and obscured, has a golden yellow glow.

S: The nose is an oaken throw-down matched with a hop profile that comes out swinging. The violent interaction is sweet and bitter. Orange hop notes run into an oaken barrel wall, some bouncing off and some not. A very complex nose.

T: My stock on this beer is very volatile. First I loved, then not so much and now I'm back on the pro side. The hops start off strong and only go upward. The orange, both pulp and peel, punches me in the face. It's bitterness refuses to subside. Behind the hops, the oaken aspects add a sweet, white wine-like flavor, buttery in a good way. The Belgian yeast strain accentuates fruitiness, bridging the hops and the barrel. Yeah, I'm back on board with this beer. May need another sixer.

M: The mouthfeel is focused on the wood and the hops. Two very good nexuses. Sweet and sharp throughout.

D: The alcohol is in the middle of the range, acceptable principally because it doesn't get in the way. A serious IPA, Belgian or otherwise.

I've been away from the Scratch Series for a little a while, but couldn't miss the Belgian IPA...

A - The head is off white and is both massive and billowing, yet fluffy, delicate and cloud-like at the same time with a rocky top... Stellar retention... A haze impaired pale gold color with some minor sediment floating about... Some moderate paced carbonation can be seen deep within... Loads and loads of thick lacing cling to the sides of the glass...

Barrel aged in virgin oak, dry hopped for 2 weeks with williamette and hersbrucker, fermented with Westmalle yeast, and then conditioned for 3 weeks. Served in a pint glass.

A: One finger of bright white head, compact and foamy. Mediocre retention. Nearly sheet-like lacing interrupted only where I sip from. However, the lacing does not maintain its proficiency throughout imbibement. Cloudy body with a color gradient from pale yellow to soft orange.

S: REMARKABLE! Just the right amount of oak comes through. Fruity hops (mostly orange) with a little grass complimented by malts of straw. The spicy yeast phenolics were perfectly played. Alcohol is also well hidden.

T: Fruity and hoppy with just the right amount of hops, malts and yeast. Oak aging sets it off. Hands down 5.

M: The mouthfeel is also superb if not just a little too soft. Fine carbonation, long flavor duration extends the fruity and spicy phenols. Very mild bitterness. Semi light but not thin.

D: This is the best Belgian-style Pale Ale I've had yet. Troegs has been absolutely nailing the Scratch Series that I've sampled lately. I would love to see them make a bigger commitment to their more experimental and adventurous beers. It is because of these brews that I am now a huge fan.

decided to grab out a new scratch beer this afternoon and give it a whirl. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 08/14/2010.

the pour is huge an obnoxiously good. nice light amber with golden yellow highlights take over a cloudy and hazy body that is capped by a two inch head of white foam.

aroma is loaded with lemon zest, hints of grapefruit, pepper, light herbals and grassy notes that come through nice and tightly throughout the session. great sipper here, lots of yeast coming through now on the palate. lots of spicy pepper and a ton of lemon with each sip. tongue and lips are tingling with each sip, really nicely done i have to say. more then well carbonated each sip comes across with a lively feel and a really nice and spicey touch. smooth and even finish with a great clean, peppery and citrus aftertaste that really wartms the belly.

overall for a belgian ipa it is dead on, really a great example of the style and a really nicely done beer from troegs.

I poured this a bit too quickly, and ended up with four inches of head over an ounce of beer. Lot of carbonation in this one, fitting of the style. When it settles, the beer rests in the glass a glowing but foggy pale gold. The head is mousse-like, leaving behind thick sheets of lacing.

This was bottled back in April, so I wasn't expecting a huge hop aroma, and it doesn't have one. There's still plenty of character and complexity left, thanks to the yeast and brief stint in oak barrels. The aroma is spicy, phenolic, a little peppery and chalky with a note of coriander and a grainy pils malt character behind the yeast. There's also a mild lemon-like fruitiness. I do still pick up a hint of herbal hop character, but I'm sure it was bolder when the beer was fresh.

There's a lot of oak on the palate, which initially surprised me but actually works very well. Combined with the phenolic Westmalle yeast it gives the beer a huge spiciness that manages to just barely avoid astringency. Spicy coriander and herbal hop flavors appear mid-palate, along with a trace of bubblegum. It's a bit chalky, though not in a detracting way. There's virtually no sweetness here, thanks in part to a strong bittering hop bite that melds with the tannins to create a long and bitter finish.

This is quite good, and for the style I think it has aged unusually well, thanks largely to a good yeast strain.

Pours a very hazy, saison-like yellow - perhaps almost Five-Alive(ish) with a couple fingers of creamy head which has some nice retentions and leaves soapy lacing right down to the last sip.

Fruity esters, grassy hops and a hint of lemon and pepper in the nose.

The yeast is not as dominant as many Belgian IPAs which I am actually kind of digging, dominant lemon and pepper hop profile which has a slightly astringent heavy bitterness which is dry and quenching, hint of sweet biscuity malt, grassy, musty.

Downfall is the super sharp, edgy carbonation which has some serious bite, could be toned down a notch or two. Really unique BIPA, less sweet, unique hop profile, really dry - I actually kind of like it. ABV well hidden and with the dryness, a real quencher. Thanks Eric!

4.0 A: Hazy golden yellow color, almost like a hefe. Four fingers of creamy pillowy yellow tinted head. Really good retention and lots of lacing. This was a pain in the ass to pour, haha.

4.0 S: Hops are earthy and slightly citrusy with some orange and mango. However, surprisingly, the hops aren't the main attraction. Pepper and clove yeastiness stands out. Earthy musty oakiness even more so. Neutral malt.

4.0 T: Oakiness is heavy in the taste. There's also a heavy earthy spiciness reminiscent of rye. Pepper is there again, but the clove has died out. Moderate bitterness. Herbal hops with some general indistinguishable fruitiness.

4.0 M: Lighter body with an abundance of spritzy carbonation. Okay all around.

4.0 D: Again Troegs makes a quality Scratch. Overall well rounded with no flaws. Good earthy flavor would warrant another, if I had one.

12 oz bottle. Wow, I'm really glad I drove to PA to get this. Definitely the best scratch series Troegs I've had yet, and that's saying something. Also, Best version of the Belgian IPA style I've had yet. Pours a dark yellow/light orange color with an agressive head. Leaves an attractive lace on the glass. The citrusy/piney/grassy hops are there up-front and stay throughout but the belgian yeast gives a great counterpoint. I love the orange peel/lemon taste that is present as well. Here's hoping this can become a seasonal. Troegs hit a home run with this one, and it certainly seems like it should become part of their lineup.

This bad boy has an an over abundance of head. My 18oz tulip would not take the whole bottle in w/o slurping some of the soapy, spicy fist sized head off the top. White billows of small and large sized bubbles form a Duvel styled mound of head. An orange cloudy body is nearly hiding the fast torrents of carbonation flying from the hop shaped etching on the bottom of the Sierra Nevada Tulip. The head rests sweetly to a solid finger of creamy nrear white head...BEAUTIFUL!

Spicy bread like yeast and earthy hop notes dance sharply from the heavily carbonated brew stinging my nostrils with a burn of pleasure. The taste is out of this world, a true Belgian yeast flavor with a tinge of bitterness. Hops make this the IPA and the yeast make this a Belgian. Throw in the heavily carbonated ale and we have what needs to be a BJCP style. Let this brew be the model....(sorry Raging Bitch I found another) Champagne like body gives this the Belgian mouthfeel. If only my cheeks were not warming as I type and finish I would suggest having quite a few of these bad girls.

Pours pale with a nice white head and a bit of lacing. The nose brings down a good dose of light tropical and citrus hops as well as some nice Belgian yeast and pale malt. The taste brings forward some more light hops and a bit of lemon as well as spice and yeast. Very nice body with great carbonation. A very nice example of the style. Troegs knows its way around hops.

Thanks to the Central PA group from the Gang Bang BIF for this bottle!

The Scratch Beer Dash hurries forth! This leg pours a clear straw topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises wheat, lemon zest, and grass. Something is definitely missing here... The taste holds notes of lemon zest, wheat, light black pepper, light greens, and white bread. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a somewhat grainy feel. Overall, a surprisingly enjoyable beer, despite the fact that the smell and taste have definitely dropped off due to the age. I'm not sure why, then, but I wouldn't mind drinking another...

T: Taste follows smell. Decent floral hops are present throughout with lemon and spicy notes. A decent amount of bready malt flavors show up mid taste. The finish is light, refreshing with a nice citrus flavor and just a touch of bitterness.

M: Medium body, moderate to high level of carbonation. Quite dry.

D: Very enjoyable Belgian IPA. Well balanced and tasty. Acquired in a trade and would seek out again if given the opportunity.

The beer pours a slightly hazy honey gold color with good head retention and lacing. The nose is pretty exotic, with honey, light clove, bananna and some underlying orange citrus. Flavor profile repicates the nose pretty closely, though there's considerably more hoppy bitterness then I was expecting on the finish. The bitterness cuts right through the initial sweet honey fruit flavor, giving the beer a light, dry mouthfeel that is impressive. Drinkability is quite good, with the alcohol barely noticeable.

M - There is very little to knock here, but perhaps that weight is a little off.

D - Nice stuff. Quasi-Belgian even. An interesting dynamic, isn't it, with Belgians adapting the American adaptation of the English IPA, and in this case Americans imitating the Belgian adaptation of the American adaptation of the English version. Nice stuff, anyhow.

Drinkability -- WHOA! I've nearly given up on this style on a few occasions, but this is a a really great offering. Wonderful marriage of West Coast hops and Belgian yeast. With beer trends as they are currently, this would be a big hit if it were put into regular rotation. Good on ya, Tröegs!

A: Pours light golden in color, hazy, with a two and a half finger, pillowy white head. The head sticks around forever.

S: Smell starts sweet, giving notes of freshly sawed wood, cedar maybe. There is also dome citrus and some piney hop presence, but it stays toward the background.

T: The taste is opposite of the nose in order of flavors. The orange and pine flavors are up front, and meld together quite nicely. The taste that lingers on at the end is that wood flavor I mentioned in the nose.

M: Lighter bodied, but nice and creamy. The carbonation level is spot on too. The finish is wonderful and dry.

D: I really enjoyed this beer, and wish that, along with most of the Scratch series, they would make these more than once. Another winner from the Chris and John!